Clever definition
A clever book.
A clever student.
A clever carpenter.
A clever experiment.
An evening of clever repartee.
Clever manipulation of public opinion.
An example of clever is a builder who can construct a deck around any tree.
An example of clever is a magazine that speaks intelligently about politics and pop culture.
Other Word Forms
Adjective
Origin of clever
- Middle English cliver East Frisian klifer, klüfer gleubh- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From East Anglian dialectal English cliver (“expert at seizing”), from Middle English cliver (“tenacious”), perhaps from Old English *clifer, clibbor (“clinging”), or perhaps from East Frisian (compare Saterland Frisian kluftich), or dialectal Norwegian klover (“ready, skillful”); possibly influenced by Old English clifer (“claw, hand”). Related to cleave.
From Wiktionary